In a competition to design a "Learning Hub" for students at Nanyang University in Singapore, London-based firm Heatherwick Studio has won with a rounded, hive-like design. The £360 million project has won the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award for Sustainability from the government of Singapore.
The architects said that the design is meant to transcend the original purpose of a university building, redefining the spaces where students collaborate.
Rather than a building principally meant to house educational texts, they sought to design an appealing place for students to work and socialize, given the fact that the Internet makes it possible for educational information to be accessed outside of university buildings.
Fifty-six rooms will be condensed into a space with no conventional corridors, and will center around an area that can be entered from 360 degrees, Arch Daily reports. This central space will link all of the structure's separate towers, which contain classrooms stacked upon one another. Selected floors will also feature gardens.
"Another inspiration for the hub was a wish to break down the traditional, square, forward-facing classrooms with a clear front and hierarchy, and move to a cornerless space, where teachers and students mix on a more equal basis," Heatherwick Studio said in a statement.
"In this model, students work together around shared tables, with teacher as facilitator and partner in the voyage of learning, rather than ‘master’ executing a top-down model of pedagogy."
Heatherwick will work with local architects CPG Consultants to fully realize the Learning Hub. All renderings courtesy of Heatherwick Studio.
Related Stories
| May 25, 2011
Developers push Manhattan office construction
Manhattan developers are planning the city's biggest decade of office construction since the 1980s, betting on rising demand for modern space even with tenants unsigned and the availability of financing more limited. More than 25 million sf of projects are under construction or may be built in the next nine years.
| May 25, 2011
Olympic site spurs green building movement in UK
London's environmentally friendly 2012 Olympic venues are fuelling a green building movement in Britain.
| May 25, 2011
TOTO tests universal design at the AIA conference
If you could be 80 years old for 30 minutes—and have to readjust everything you think you know about your own mobility—would you do it?
| May 20, 2011
Hotels taking bath out of the bathroom
Bathtubs are disappearing from many hotels across the country as chains use the freed-up space to install ever more luxurious showers, according to a recent USAToday report. Of course, we reported on this move--and 6 other hospitality trends--back in 2006 in our special report "The Inn Things: Seven Radical New Trends in Hotel Design."
| May 19, 2011
BD+C’s "40 Under 40" winners for 2011
The 40 individuals profiled here are some of the brightest stars in the AEC universe—and they’re under the age of 40. These young architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and developers stood out among a group of 164 outstanding entrants in our sixth annual “40 Under 40” competition.
| May 18, 2011
Sanford E. Garner on the profitability of being diverse
Sanford E. Garner, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP ND, NCARB, founding partner and president of A2SO4 Architecture, LLC, Indianapolis, on gentrification, the profitability of being diverse, and his goals as NOMA president.
| May 18, 2011
8 Tips for Designing Wood Trusses
Successful metal-plate-connected wood truss projects require careful attention to detail from Building Team members.
| May 18, 2011
Major Trends in University Residence Halls
They’re not ‘dorms’ anymore. Today’s collegiate housing facilities are lively, state-of-the-art, and green—and a growing sector for Building Teams to explore.
| May 18, 2011
Former Bronx railyard redeveloped as shared education campus
Four schools find strength in numbers at the new 2,310-student Mott Haven Campus in New York City. The schools—three high schools and a K-4 elementary school—coexist on the 6.5-acre South Bronx campus, which was once a railyard.
